


A Sentimental Man

by lovesickmelody



Category: Midnight Poppy Land (Webcomic)
Genre: F/M, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:55:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24475327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovesickmelody/pseuds/lovesickmelody
Summary: Quincey spies some new ink on Tora and grills him about it.
Relationships: Tora/Poppy
Comments: 16
Kudos: 192





	A Sentimental Man

“Gross.” Tora didn’t take his eyes off of the screen in front of him as he listened to Quincey’s latest novel.

That pulled a gasp from Quincey, “You never minded gay sex before!” 

“They weren’t brothers before.” Tora shot some punk trying to steal his car in his game. 

Quincey dismissed that with a flick of his limp wrist, “Oh, they only play brothers on TV!”

“What?!” Finally, looking away from the TV to look at Quincey, Tora’s on-screen avatar was shot, and his game reset. 

Looking like it physically pained him, Quincey explained through gritted teeth. “They are actors who play brothers on a television show and fall in love.”

Tora thought about that for a moment. “Still gross.”

Now Quincy was outraged, he snapped his journal closed and turned fiery eyes to Tora. “What about that serial killer show you used to make me watch? The main guy married his sister in real life.” 

“Yeah, still gross.” Tora reached to the coffee table for his pack of cigarettes, he lit one. He restarted the latest mission that Quincey had distracted him from. He rolled his head from side to side as he took a drag. 

“What’s that?!” Quincey asked. 

“Uh, video game?” Tora asked, confused. Since the very first draft of the very first manuscript, he’d been playing video games while Quincey read his books. 

“I know what a video game is, I’m talking about that,” He shifted on the couch so that he could poke at the tender spot behind Tora’s ear. 

Blocking the hand that was reaching for his neck, Tora exhaled. “Nothin’, keep reading your incestuous ramblings.”

Not deterred, Quincey pushed, “You love my incestuous ramblings. No, really, did you get a new tattoo?” 

Trying to remain as casual as possible, Tora didn’t take his eyes off his game. “Yeah, so?”

Quincey let out a huff, “Well, what did you get? And why behind your ear?”

“Why do ya care?” Tora had to block Quincey’s hand again. 

“Because your tattoos are beautiful, and they tell a story. What’s this one’s story? It looks like a flower.”

“It is.”

“More detail, honey, you know that I live for the details.” Best to just get it over with, he let Quincey push his hair up so that he could see the fresh ink. “Oh. My. Gawd! It’s a poppy!”

“So?” Tora stubbed out his cigarette, still pointedly refusing to look at Quincey.

“Hum…” Quincey tapped his chin in mock thought. “I wonder what made you get a poppy flower. Could it have anything to do with my darling editor?!” Quincey crossed his legs, put his elbow on his knee, with his wrist cocked forward, and his chin on his wrist. Tora turned to face Quincey and just glared at him.

Apparently, that was all the answer that Quincey needed. “I knew it! I knew you liked her! From the way you were acting when she texted you for the first time, and then when you were holding her hand cause it’s,” Quincey dropped his voice a few octaves and threw up air quotes, ‘Cute and small.’ The way you pushed me to take a meeting with her and help Mr. Lam. You are so transparent!” Quincey laughed, a big grin on his face, and his eyes twinkling.

“Soooo.” Quincey drew out the word and leaned back against the arm of the sofa. “Why did you get it behind your ear?”

“Fuck off.” Tora wanted another cigarette. And for this conversation to be over.

With a small, fake pout, Quincey nudged Tora’s leg with his toe. “You don’t mean that,” He grabbed his phone off the coffee table and brandished it like a weapon. “I know how to make you talk. You can tell me, or I can let a certain someone in on the secret of your newest tattoo.” 

“I can break your jaw,” Tora growled out the threat.

It seemed that Quincey wasn’t fazed by it because he quickly waved it off. “I still have thumbs to text.”

Not that smart, this princess he calls a best friend. “I can break those, too.” 

“And what do you tell your… special friend when she asks why you broke my jaw and my thumbs, and I can’t work? She’s depending on my next manuscript, you know.” Damn Quinceton and his valid points.

Or maybe, he wanted this conversation to never have started in the first place.

“Tell me, or I call Poppy.” He shook the phone in Tora’s face.

“I can break that, too.” 

Quincey tapped his screen, “Before the call connects, and she has a missed call from me? She’ll call back, and it will go to voicemail, then she will call you. What do you do then?”

Tora glared at the phone, hoping the power of his mind would stop the call.

“Now, tell me, or I’m telling Poppy.” Quincey held the phone flat in his palm as the call connected. “The phone is ringing big bro. Once she answers this call, you’re screwed.” His expression was flat like he didn’t care either way.

Panic flooded Tora as the phone started ringing. “It’s where she touched me for the first time.” Poppy couldn’t know about his new tattoo. Hell, he didn’t want anyone to know about it. 

Quincey’s eyes went wide, and he almost dropped his phone, “Holy shit!”

The ringing stopped as Poppy answered. “Hello? Quincey? Aren’t you beta reading with Tora?”

Luck was on his side as Quincey bounced back. There was still a stupid grin on his face, though. “Poppy, darling! Tora thinks it’s a bad idea to write a story about two actors who play brothers on TV who fall in love.”

There were a few moments of silence as Poppy processed this. “Gross.”

A small grin spread on Tora’s face. “Told ya.”

The groan that Quincey let out would be fitting for a toddler told no. “Fine. Best friends?”

Poppy hummed, “I’m okay with that. Way better than brothers.”

“Thanks, darling. I’ll send Tora back to you soon!” Quincey was already moving to hit the end call button.

“What? Why-“ Poppy’s voice cuts off as Quincey disconnects ends the call, ignoring the question that he knew was coming. 

After tossing his phone on the coffee table, Quincey turned to Tora. “Now, spill!” He crossed his left arm over his stomach, his right elbow resting in this left palm, with his chin propped on his closed right fist, a broad smile spread across his lips. 

Fuck it. Tora reached for another cigarette. “Told ya already.”

“Noooo,” Quincey drew the word out as he took the cigarette from Tora’s fingers before he could light it. “You told me just enough to get me to not spill to Poppy. Now it’s your turn. I need the full story.” When Tora didn’t start talking, he picked up his phone and pulled up Poppy’s contact screen.

“Stop!” Tora took a deep breath, pinched the bridge of his nose, and figured he was fucked either way. He gritted his teeth and told the shortest version of the story he thought he could get away with. 

“Second day I met her, she needed to track down Lam. Scharch had already locked onto him. My car got towed, and we were runnin’ through the park as a short cut. Stopped on the stairs. My hair was,” Tora didn’t know how to describe it, so he flickered his fingers in front of his forehead. “She pushed a bit of it behind my ear.”

Tora could practically see the hearts in Quincey’s eyes. “Oh. My. Gawd! That is adorable! That was the first time she touched you?!”

In for a penny in for a pound. “Yeah, well touched me and knew it was me. She grabbed my wrist the night before but thought I was some good Smartian. Now leave me alone.” Tora leaned forward and picked up the controller and tried to focus on his game. 

He could feel Quincey almost vibrating next to him with questions. “Ya get one.” 

Quincey opened and closed his mouth three times before he actually said anything. “When did you decide to get it?”

“I dunno,” Tora said with a shrug and thought about it for a few seconds. “Few weeks ago.”

“When did you decide that you wanted to get it?” Quincey clarified. 

“I said one!” Why did he choose to hang out with the only person that he can’t really intimidate?

Quincey just held up his phone, thumb hovering over the call button. “Fuck,” Tora said, then ran a hand down his face. 

“Answer, and I promise not to ask anything else,” Quincey was almost pleading. 

“Probably when she told me she respects my right to privacy.” Maybe if he told him everything, Quincey would actually stop asking questions. “Never really had that before. Thought I’d get the notebook and be outa her life for good, and it’d be nice to have a reminder that not everyone is only out for themselves.”

Leaning forward, Quincey swapped out his phone for his journal and pen. “I always knew you were a sentimental man.” Quincey paused for a moment before he added, “You know, under all of the violence and intimidation.”

“Whatever. Just drop it. And don’t tell Poppy!”

**Author's Note:**

> Check out https://www.pinterest.com/pin/522980575481046312/ for what I pictured the tattoo to look like.


End file.
